The Pennsylvania Department
Death Notices

The Resource

The Pennsylvania Department maintains an
alphabetical Index
to Death Notices/Obituaries that
have appeared in the Pittsburgh papers--principally the Pittsburgh
Gazette and its later incarnations. This Index is not comprehensive
nor
exhaustive: it has never been required to publish a death in the
newspapers. For many individuals--especially in small communities--family,
friends and neighbors knew of the death without the need of its publication.

The Death Notice Index held by the Pennsylvania Department is partly on
microfilm and also partly in hard copy (mounted on index cards). The
Department has begun entering death notice information on an internal
database not available via the Internet.

At present, this Index covers ONLY the following time periods:

1786 - 1913 Microfilm Series #P-359

(There is no Index by name for intervening
years 1914-1967.)

1968 - 1978 Microfilm Series #P-359a

1979 - 1988 Microfilm Series #P-359a

1989 - 1998 in Hard Copy

(Note: Transfer of this material to microfilm is to be scheduled.)

1999 - 2000 in Hard Copy

2001 - present. On internal database, Pennsylvania
Department. Not available via the Internet.

(Note: There is usually a two/three week delay in the filing of death
notices.)

What We Will Search & the Cost

The Pennsylvania Department will search the Death Notice Index
for up to 5 names per request.
The Pennsylvania Department will search up to two Pittsburgh
newspapers if an exact date of death--month, day and
year--is provided.
The Pennsylvania Department will not search newspapers for a
death occurring in the period 1914-1967 unless an exact date of
death is provided.

Our base fee for 1-5 photocopies is $8.75.
Please send a letter with the names that you wish searched and
enclose a check or money order payable to "Carnegie Library of
Pittsburgh." Please do not send
cash. Address your letter to:

If we locate more than five photocopies, we shall notify you of any
extra costs.
If we fail to find the names that you request, we shall return your
check or money order to you.
Due to the volume of requests, please anticipate a response time of
six to eight weeks.